Marvel: Reincarnated as Superman

Daniel was panicking. Completely panicking.

His mind felt like it had exploded into chaos. A heavy pressure sat in his chest, so suffocating that it almost made it hard for him to breathe.

Everything was ruined....completely ruined.

He was done for, totally screwed.

After that, he didn’t hear a single word John said.

His whole body moved on instinct, numb and hollow like a walking corpse. His brain had gone blank. His thoughts had frozen solid.

Like a puppet being dragged around by invisible strings, Daniel stiffly followed John and Carol through the entire museum. He had no memory of what he saw or heard.

Only three words echoed endlessly in his head.

’This is Marvel.’

By the time they left the museum, it was already getting late. The three of them headed back toward the motel they stayed at the night before.

Inside the car, Daniel stared blankly out the window the entire ride. No matter who spoke to him, he didn’t respond.

John and Carol were both terrified.

Neither of them knew what had happened. One moment Daniel had been fine, and the next he looked completely lost, almost like he’d turned into an empty shell.

They hadn’t noticed anything strange inside the museum at first. It wasn’t until they stopped to eat that they realized something was seriously wrong.

No matter how they talked to him, he wouldn’t answer. His reactions were slow and dull, like his consciousness had drifted somewhere far away.

Carol called his name over and over again, but never got a response.

By the end, her voice had turned hoarse from shouting so much. Eventually, panic overwhelmed her and she started crying.

Only after seeing tears fall from Carol’s eyes did Daniel finally snap back to himself a little.

He forced the corners of his mouth upward into an ugly, strained smile.

"I’m fine," he said weakly. "Just... tired. My chest feels uncomfortable."

Seeing Daniel finally respond, John, who had been driving, immediately slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road.

His palms were drenched in sweat, and his eyes were bloodshot from stress.

He stared at Daniel nervously.

"Are you really okay?"

"I’m okay."

Daniel looked him straight in the eye, trying his best to sound steady.

John could tell he wasn’t lying.

"...Alright."

John let out a long breath and turned the car around.

The direction they had been heading earlier... was toward the hospital.

Now that he confirmed Daniel was alright, they headed back to the motel instead.

Hospitals in America were expensive no matter what era it was, especially for families like them. One hospital visit could practically strip a family clean.

And John trusted Daniel. The boy rarely lied.

If he said he was fine, then he probably really was fine.

"Daniel... we were really worried about you," Carol said softly, her eyes still red.

Guilt twisted painfully inside Daniel’s chest, he had scared his family.

"I’m okay now," he explained quietly. "I just suddenly felt bad earlier."

"As long as you’re okay."

After saying that, Carol didn’t speak again.

For once, she wasn’t noisy or energetic.

After living together for five years, she understood Daniel very well. She could tell his mental state was off right now, and bothering him would only make things worse.

So she quietly gave him space.

The three of them returned to the motel in silence.

After what happened, none of them had the mood to talk anymore. They washed up quickly, exchanged quiet goodnights, and climbed into their beds.

...

The lights were off.

Late into the night, Daniel lay there staring blankly into the darkness.

His heart felt miserable.

He had only just managed to accept the fact that he transmigrated into another world...

And now fate had thrown another bombshell at him.

Marvel.

Out of all worlds, it had to be Marvel.

Just thinking about Thanos and that damn snap decades later made his scalp tingle.

If he lived long enough to reach that era, he would probably already have a wife and children by then. Maybe even a peaceful, happy family.

And then that purple bastard would snap his fingers, and everything could disappear.

His parents...

His sister...

Maybe Carol and her husband would have children too, nieces or nephews running around the house.

Then there’d be his own wife, his own kids...

A huge family.

And with a fifty percent chance of vanishing, no matter who disappeared, the people left behind would suffer.

"Damn this world..." Daniel cursed silently.

It was cruel.

You finally found happiness, finally built a life worth protecting...

Only to know that one day, your family and friends might disappear in an instant.

Nobody could stay calm knowing that.

’Why did I have to transmigrate?’

’And if I had to transmigrate... Why give me such a good family?’

’How am I supposed to live now?’

Countless thoughts tangled together inside his head.

The more he thought, the worse he felt.

...

In his heart, Daniel cursed every god he could think of.

Eventually, after exhausting himself with anger and frustration, sleepiness finally began creeping in.

But right then, something changed...

The entire world suddenly felt different.

Time seemed to slow down.

The sounds around him became unnaturally clear.

He could hear Carol’s soft breathing.

She was already asleep.

After the emotional rollercoaster today, an eight year old child simply didn’t have the energy to stay awake long.

He could also sense that John was still awake.

His breathing was uneven, filled with worry and restless thoughts.

’He’s still worried about me...’

Daniel could feel it clearly.

Even without looking over, he knew John was watching him.

Watching him carefully, he was worried about him.

Daniel kept his body completely still and pretended to sleep.

The room was pitch black anyway. Unless he moved around, John wouldn’t realize he was still awake.

Instinctively, Daniel didn’t want to move.

’If John realizes I’m still awake this late, he’ll definitely worry even more. Especially after how abnormal I acted today.’

Daniel didn’t want any of his family members worrying about him.

At some point, he had truly accepted them as his family.

John.

Mary.

Carol.

These three people had already become incredibly important to him.

Daniel stared quietly at the motel ceiling.

’The paint on the ceiling is peeling a little.’

He hadn’t noticed it during the day, but now he realized just how old and worn down the motel really was.

Then suddenly, Daniel froze.

It was the middle of the night.

The room was so dark you couldn’t even see your own hand in front of your face.

So how could he see the ceiling so clearly?

Not only clearly, he could see every tiny detail better than he could during the daytime.

’Night vision?’

Only now did Daniel finally realize what was happening.

He could see perfectly in the dark.

"What kind of useless ability is this..." he muttered inwardly.

Did some god hear him cursing earlier and decide to compensate him?

But why give him night vision?

He was still weak as hell!

Daniel glared bitterly at the ceiling.

’Couldn’t you at least give me something stronger?’

The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became.

What kind of garbage awakening ability was this?

But as he continued staring at a certain spot on the ceiling, his vision changed again.

"...Huh?"

His gaze suddenly passed through the ceiling itself.

Daniel’s pupils shrank.

’X-ray vision?’

But it didn’t feel exactly like that.

His sight penetrated through the concrete, yet the steel reinforcement bars inside were still clearly visible.

Curiosity slowly replaced part of his frustration.

Carefully, Daniel tilted his head slightly, trying not to make any noise.

His line of sight barely reached Carol’s bed.

But he wasn’t looking at Carol herself.

No...

He was looking through her.

At her skeleton.

Pale white bones instantly filled his vision, scaring the hell out of him.

Thankfully, after everything he’d experienced today, his nerves were practically numb already. Otherwise he probably would’ve shouted.

’X-ray vision...’

Daniel’s expression became strange.

His eyes could actually turn into X-ray scanners.

’Well... I guess I could become a doctor in the future.’

He laughed bitterly to himself.

But after confirming his ability, Daniel quickly lost interest again.

So what if he had X-ray vision?

It didn’t improve his combat ability at all.

It was completely useless.

Right now, all Daniel wanted was the power to protect himself and his family.

He wasn’t some heroic saint.

He just wanted to live a peaceful, comfortable life with the people he cared about.

He was tired....very tired.

Sleepiness finally overwhelmed him.

Right before falling asleep, a random thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

’Wait... whose eyes had X-ray vision again?’

A faint idea flashed across his mind, but before he could catch it, exhaustion pulled him under.

Daniel fell asleep.